Port of Felixstowe expansion confirmed

A contract has been awarded to VolkerFitzpatrick for the latest phase of expansion at Hutchison Ports Port of Felixstowe.

The project will comprise the design and construction of approximately 13 hectares of paved container yard directly behind Berth 9. The work will include the reclamation of 3.2 hectares of seabed behind the existing finger pier.

“Berths 8&9 were the first berths in the UK built to accommodate the latest class of ultra-large container vessels,” said Clemence Cheng, Executive Director, Hutchison Ports. “The creation of additional container storage will allow us to optimise container handling operations between the berth and its supporting yard.”

Completion of the new container yard, which will comprise ten container blocks and allow six-high stacking, is scheduled for early 2019. The yard will add 18,000 TEU of stacking capacity to the 130,000 TEU already available at the UK’s largest container port.

The work will further enhance Felixstowe’s ability to handle the world’s largest container ships. The port was the first in the UK to handle the latest class of 18,000+ TEU ships in 2013 and continues to handle more than any other port in the country.